Patent GB-600560-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in self-propelled vehicles
IPC: B60K17/30
Filed: 1944-03-28
Abstract: 600,560. Electrically-propelled road vehicles. MAVOR & COULSON, Ltd. (Joy Manufacturing Co.). March 28, 1944, No. 5734. [Classes 79 (ii), 79 (iii) and 79 (v)] A self-propelled vehicle has four-wheeled steering, the front wheels turning in opposite direction to the rear wheels, a load carrying body extending downwards between the near side and the off-side wheels, an electric motor drive for one or both of the near-side wheels and a separate electric motor drive for one or both of the off-side wheels. Alternatively, each of the four wheels may have its own electric motor drive. The steering connections are preferably disposed along each side of the body with a cross connection near one end, which passes between the upper and lower runs of a conveyor belt constituting the floor of the vehicle. The steering wheel is arranged at one side of the body, together with other 'controls in duplicate so arranged that whichever way the vehicle is running and the driver facing, the driver is presented with a set of controls disposed in the same order. General layout.-The vehicle shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 11 which is a cross-section on line V-V of Fig. 2, is an electrically propelled shuttle car of the kind used in mines for running between the working face and the mine cars, a load of coal or the like being conveyed and discharged into the mine cars by an endless conveyer belt 7 constituting the floor of the vehicle. Current for the electric motors is. obtained from cable 12, which is paid out from and picked up on the drum 13. Each wheel is contained in a recess which also houses an electric motor 14, but in the alternative form shown in Fig. 5 two electric motors only are provided, each driving, through reduction gearing, both the wheels on one side of the vehicle. The vehicle may be driven in either direction, 6 being the loading end, the load being discharged from the other end. Power transmission,-Each road-wheel may have its own electric motor as shown in Figs. 11 and 12, or only two motors may be provided, one on each side, as shown in Figs. 5 and 13. The individual drive comprises a motor 14, whose drive shaft 51 drives through reduction gearing 52, the rotary member 53 carrying the wheel and tyre. The wheel is steered about the pivots 55, 56 and is provided with braking surfaces 57. In the alternative shown in Figs. 5 and 13, the motor 43 on one side drives through reduction geering 58 in housing 44, shaft 45 with universal couplings 60, 64 at each end thereof, shaft 65 carrying a worm (not shown) which drives worm wheel 67, and shaft 68 ; shaft 68 has splined thereto a spherical member 73 having axially disposed grooves in its periphery, each groove containing a ball 75, the balls 75 engage corresponding grooves in the internal face of spherical member 77 which, thereby transmits the drive to the splined-on member 85 and so to the tyre in all steering positions. The balls 75 are carried in a cage 78 which is maintained in position by a guide element 79, pilot centre 80 and spring-pressed pilot 81. The drive may, if desired, be continued to the second wheel on the same side of the vehicle by shaft 48. A brake 61, 62, actuated by lever 63 is provided. The layout is repeated for the other side of the vehicle. Steering and controlling.-The driver sits on seat 18 or wing 17, Fig. 2, facing steering wheel 15 or 15a according to the direction of travel. The steering wheel is connected by a chain 23, Fig. 5, to a worm 24, which via link 25 actuat es a cross shaft 27 mounted in a tube 28 which passes between the runs of the conveyer belt. Link 29 rocks lever 30, which moves link 31 connected by ball joint 33 to steering arm 34 so as to steer wheel 8 about pivots 39. Rod 35 conveys the steering to wheel 9. The arms 26, 26a depending from the cross shaft 27 are inclined in different directions when the road wheels are in the " straight-ahead " position, whereby, whether the vehicle is steered for a left-hand or a right-hand turn, the road wheels on the inside of the turn follow an arc of smaller radius than that followed by the outer wheels. The wheels are mounted for steering in two ways, according to whether the wheel has its own electric motor direct drive, as in Fig. 12, or whether it is indirectly driven as in Figs. 5 and 13. In Fig. 12, the wheel pivots about ball 55 and pintle 56, the electric motor casing 14 acts as a steering arm and the steering link is connected to one or both of the balls 32. In Fig. 13, the wheels are steered about pivots (not shown) vertically above and below the centre of the spherical drive-transmitting members 73, 77 by steering arms 34 (Fig. 5). Other controls are duplicated 'to permit of the driver facing the direction of travel, e.g. brake pedals 19a, 19b (Figs. 1 and 2), forward pedals 20, 21 and reversing pedals 20a, 21a.